Monumental Sunset
One Day Moon and Monument
A beautiful composition where a very young moon, maybe less than a day old, following a short distance behind the setting sun, accents the sky.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
3 November 2005
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
3 November 2005
Moon over Monument
A crescent moon accompanies an ancient monument.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Moon between Monuments
There is enough earthshine to illuminate the dark side of the moon.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Monument Valley Lightshow
A 90-minute exposure captures a variety of lights. The stars mark their clockwork passage across the sky of course, but civilization also leaves its mark. Airplane beacons flash as they pass through, distant towns show on the horizon, and local traffic finds its way along the private road below. Private, but not unseen, and when the headlights aim in my direction, with the lens wide open, the film captures their flare.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
4 November 2005
Mitten Buttes at Sunset
West Mitten and East Mitten Buttes of Monument Valley are bathed in late afternoon lighting, the geology further reddened by the beauty light of sunset.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
7 May 2007
Canon EOS 20Da, 17-55mm (21mm)
1/500 at f/11, ISO 400
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
7 May 2007
Canon EOS 20Da, 17-55mm (21mm)
1/500 at f/11, ISO 400
North Window
It is possible to drive to the floor of Monument Valley and enjoy a 17-mile loop that presents magnificent views of the geology wonders here. At one point along the drive is this view, called the “North Window”, a particularly beautiful scene in the moments before sunset.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
7 May 2007
Canon EOS 20Da, 17-55mm (38mm)
1/500 at f/8, ISO 400
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
7 May 2007
Canon EOS 20Da, 17-55mm (38mm)
1/500 at f/8, ISO 400
Monument Valley
Gouldings Resort is a historical island of lodging within the island of the Navajo nation within the state of Arizona. It borders the sacred area of Monument Valley whose iconic mitten shapes are seen silhouetted on the horizon. The resort itself is in the lower foreground, casting its bright lights onto the eroded red walls of the ancient mesa.
This is a composite of 14 exposures representing an elapsed time of almost two hours. Evening travelers through the reservation are seen on the distant road. Some are workers preparing for an upcoming weekend airshow event that will feature the monuments as a backdrop. Hollywood westerns were once the source of this activity, but the only signs of of those movies now are nostalgic photos and posters found in museums, and hotel lobbies.
8 May 2007
EOS 20Da, EFS 17-55mm at 35mm
8 min, f/8, ISO 400
This is a composite of 14 exposures representing an elapsed time of almost two hours. Evening travelers through the reservation are seen on the distant road. Some are workers preparing for an upcoming weekend airshow event that will feature the monuments as a backdrop. Hollywood westerns were once the source of this activity, but the only signs of of those movies now are nostalgic photos and posters found in museums, and hotel lobbies.
8 May 2007
EOS 20Da, EFS 17-55mm at 35mm
8 min, f/8, ISO 400
North Mitten
This is a picture I have attempted to capture over many years. At each of my travels to an annual conference, I would take one end of the week or the other to drive to remote corners of Arizona. I shipped my camera and telescope equipment ahead to meet me and then get a chance to do imaging under the clear, dark and arid desert skies.
The landscape at Monument Valley is unique, but access to the area is restricted. It straddles the Arizona-Utah border and is within the land of the Navaho Nation, that unproductive unwanted area partitioned off to contain the remnants of a people conquered by the westward expansion of a growing country. The land may not be organically fertile, but the landscape is spiritually rich, and many visitors come to see and experience it. The Navaho park around the monuments permit limited tours during the day, and is closed completely at night.
Even so, my first visits allowed me to stay at a campground with a view of the signature shapes of two monuments known as the "mittens"; their offset columns make them look like the thumbs in a pair of mittens. The view was obscured however and a clear night sky portrait would require a viewpoint from somewhere deeper in the park.
The road into the park is a rough cut into the desert floor that is a challenge to just about any vehicle. During the day, the ruts and holes and sandtraps are visible if not always avoidable. At night, access is blocked. To reach the vantage point that would make the picture in my minds eye, I would need to find a way.
On this night, a last chance before I needed to depart for home, I arrived after dark and worked my way to a position I thought would give me that picture. It was an uneasy moment however, and I felt that I was trespassing on sacred ground. I expected at any moment that park security would show up and escort me out. I almost abandoned my plan, but after some time in the dark and quiet, decided that I had traveled far and hard to bring myself to this place, and that I should go ahead and attempt to capture the spirit of the land and sky on that evening.
I set up my cameras and started their exposures. Once started, I waited quietly, watching the Big Dipper work its way behind the monument, like clock hands indicating the time and season. Two cars lumbered and lurched past me on their way to their homes deeper in the valley. It occurred to me that even if they noticed, they would perhaps be more fearful of an unknown vehicle parked darkly off the side of the road than offended by someone taking pictures of their beautiful land.
After five visits and as many unsuccessful attempts, with the help of the ancient Navajo spirits, I was finally able to make this picture of the North Mitten as the landscape rotates under the North Star.
The landscape at Monument Valley is unique, but access to the area is restricted. It straddles the Arizona-Utah border and is within the land of the Navaho Nation, that unproductive unwanted area partitioned off to contain the remnants of a people conquered by the westward expansion of a growing country. The land may not be organically fertile, but the landscape is spiritually rich, and many visitors come to see and experience it. The Navaho park around the monuments permit limited tours during the day, and is closed completely at night.
Even so, my first visits allowed me to stay at a campground with a view of the signature shapes of two monuments known as the "mittens"; their offset columns make them look like the thumbs in a pair of mittens. The view was obscured however and a clear night sky portrait would require a viewpoint from somewhere deeper in the park.
The road into the park is a rough cut into the desert floor that is a challenge to just about any vehicle. During the day, the ruts and holes and sandtraps are visible if not always avoidable. At night, access is blocked. To reach the vantage point that would make the picture in my minds eye, I would need to find a way.
On this night, a last chance before I needed to depart for home, I arrived after dark and worked my way to a position I thought would give me that picture. It was an uneasy moment however, and I felt that I was trespassing on sacred ground. I expected at any moment that park security would show up and escort me out. I almost abandoned my plan, but after some time in the dark and quiet, decided that I had traveled far and hard to bring myself to this place, and that I should go ahead and attempt to capture the spirit of the land and sky on that evening.
I set up my cameras and started their exposures. Once started, I waited quietly, watching the Big Dipper work its way behind the monument, like clock hands indicating the time and season. Two cars lumbered and lurched past me on their way to their homes deeper in the valley. It occurred to me that even if they noticed, they would perhaps be more fearful of an unknown vehicle parked darkly off the side of the road than offended by someone taking pictures of their beautiful land.
After five visits and as many unsuccessful attempts, with the help of the ancient Navajo spirits, I was finally able to make this picture of the North Mitten as the landscape rotates under the North Star.
Monument Valley, Navaho Nation
2 November 2005
Canon EOS 20Da